O'Grady takes heat off Sergio Garcia with ill-judged words of his own

SERGIO Garcia has been given some space after the heat turned on European Tour chief executive George O'Grady for golf's latest racist gaffe.  

Heat turns off Garcia

IF Sergio Garcia set out yesterday morning feeling that he had the glare of disapproval beating down on him after his widely publicised comment about Tiger Woods on Tuesday night, he was given considerable shade when another politically incorrect comment was let loose in a more public setting by a far more senior figure in the sport, George O'Grady, who is the chief executive of the European Tour.

Garcia teed off in the BMWPGA Championship at lunchtime, greeted by a smattering of warm applause and not the slightest element of vocal objection. Whether the Surrey public would register a scintilla of antipathy towards him had been a matter of considerable intrigue.

However, Garcia had barely been on the course for an hour when O'Grady gave a television interview in which he attempted to pour water on the simmering Garcia story, but managed to do exactly the opposite.

In his interview on Sky Sports, O'Grady had also intended to bury the suggestion that golf did not take a hard line on racism. The European Tour had already been criticised for its swift and forgiving treatment of the apologetic Garcia, which amounted to acknowledging that his "we'll serve fried chicken to Tiger Woods" comment was an innocent but regrettable error that could go unpunished. It remains a worse offence in golf to throw a club than it does to make a perceived racist remark.

That is why, in his TV interview, O'Grady said: "There's absolutely no cosiness about this at all." However, he succeeded only in exacerbating the situation by defending Garcia with the explanation that many of his American friends are "coloured athletes". The term "coloured" is old-fashioned and steeped in negative overtones. When Alan Hansen referred twice to "coloured players" on Match of the Day 17 months ago, he was immediately required to rush out an apology.

O'Grady was no different. Some two hours after his interview, the follow-up appeared in the form of a one-line statement that read: "I deeply regret using an inappropriate word in a live interview for Sky Sports for which I unreservedly apologise."

That the O'Grady apology borrowed language so directly from Garcia told something of a story. Golf has plunged into choppy waters these past few days and when its European leader attempted to rescue the boat, he simply pointed it straight at the rapids.

The public has been informed repeatedly that, if offence was ever caused, it was never intended, and that may be so. As Paul Kearns, deputy chief executive of Show Racism the Red Card, said yesterday: "Anyone using that term these days does so probably through ignorance or lack of education rather than through malice."

While these explanations are reasonable, though, they sit uncomfortably with a sport that has failed to stretch beyond its white, middle-class stronghold. If Garcia had been a footballer, he could be facing a ten-match ban.

In time, though, Garcia may feel that his sentence is infinitely worse. Although he has escaped without an official sanction, he will nevertheless carry it with him for ever. Good shots and missed putts are easily forgotten, not so this painful episode.

The Spaniard needs no one to remind him of that. When he played the pro-am on Wednesday, he said he felt so sick he could barely grip his club. Yesterday (Thursday), he was even more in the public eye, yet he betrayed few concerns. He shook hands with Jose Maria Olazabal on the putting green, he joked with Lee Westwood on the driving range and on the 4th fairway, Luke Donald, his friend and playing partner, waited for him, put an arm around his shoulder and they walked along arm in arm.

Not renowned for his resilience under pressure, Garcia survived his round in reasonable shape. He responded to an early bogey with three birdies and, after sliding backwards, finished on level par with an eagle on the 18th.

So is that it? Racism issue now over? He would not pretend afterwards. "It wasn't easy," he said. He also made a point, twice, of thanking the fans for their support.

But more telling was his interminable wait in the scorer's hut before he eventually emerged to tell his story, and the haunted look in his eyes. He knew the question was coming. What is it like to be Sergio now, post-Woods comment? It seems likely it will haunt him for years to come.

The Times